Resolutely Making Resolutions

It’s that time of the year again when the question arises whether or not to make New Year’s resolutions. I always do (and I won’t tell you what they are), and some I manage to keep, and others may need to be transferred to this year’s list.

To me, a new year always feels like a new notebook. The first page so pristine, the entire book not yet marked with stains. My best hand-writing was on that first page, and it (pretty much) stayed that way until I made the first mistake. After that, all bets were off, and I continued writing in my (now) old notebook until it was time to get a new one, and the process started all over again.

And this is what happens with resolutions all too often. We are able to stick with them pretty well until we mess up. Rather than acknowledging the lapse, we throw our hands up in the air, give up, and never get back on track.

Changing behaviors in particular is very difficult. But we will never get really good at it unless we continue to practice, practice, practice. There are tons of self-help books out there trying to assist with behavior change. They all work – of we use the advice in them and do what they suggest. Whether is it about losing weight, stopping smoking, starting an exercise program or any other thing that requires us to do things differently from the way we have grown accustomed to.

Some may say that they don’t even bother to make resolutions. That’s okay.

I do. I like to reflect on myself and my outlook on life. The more quiet time during the holidays gives me a great opportunity to do that. Then I make my list and put it in a place where I see it often.  And now it’s time to open the new page.

MELT Refreshed

I spent three days in New York last week. The occasion was an opportunity to take a refresher course with Sue Hitzmann on the MELT Length and Strength techniques.

I have been a MELT instructor for four years and have seen how this method can transform people’s wellbeing. I have also made every effort to educate myself on the underlying science of MELT. MELT is a funny kind of technique. It’s really simple in appearance but the reasoning beneath the simple veneer is profound. Even though I took every course Sue offered and also did not miss any opportunity of catching her at the conferences, I often lamented the fact that I never had a chance to take her classes and see her in action. Her refresh course in New York offered a marvelous opportunity.

MELT is still an evolving technique even as the foundation remained the same. Spending three days to review and re-learn enabled me to catch up on latest methods of teaching, deepen my understanding of some techniques, and even revise some errors in comprehension that I recognized. I came away feeling very well-grounded in the theory and practice of MELT and eager to apply what I have learned so that my clients and students can benefit.

I also walked away with an even greater appreciation of the depth of knowledge that Sue Hitzmann, the creator of MELT, has of the human body and its functioning. Her ability to translate her understanding of the body and the techniques she uses as a neuromuscular therapist into a comprehensive method which can even be taught in a class setting is nothing short of astounding. She is one of the smartest people I have ever known and I feel truly privileged to be one of her instructors. By creating MELT and teaching others to use it, she has touched already thousands of people and has made their lives better. What an accomplishment! 

Walk with Me

This week I started a new project. I am now a Walking Instructor and have partnered up with the company Humana by reaching out to the inactive and promoting better health by starting a walking program.

What has attracted me to this opportunity is that Humana offers this to everybody, member of their company or not. The participants receive really nice step counters that can be uploaded to a computer program and allows tracking of walking activities as well as other forms of exercise.

I am a great proponent of walking as exercise. It is one of my personal favorites, and I cannot think of many things I’d rather do than go for a walk with my dog.

Having the opportunity to reach out to people who would not contact a personal trainer and may not be members of a health club is a unique opportunity to interact with the great majority of inactive people.

Walking is something everybody can (and usually has to) do, and there are studies after studies confirming the benefits of it. But is has bedeviled the fitness industry for long on how to reach the inactive. You can lasso them and make them do things, no matter how beneficial it may be. And even with this program, they still have to take a bit of initiative and go to Humana and pick up a step counter.

On the day of the program launch, a fair number of people showed up and listened to me as I talked … and talked … and talked ….. I must have said something right because many of them showed up for the first day of the actual walking program and completed the first round of walks with me.

In order to keep things a little more interesting, I add some exercises to the walk which may be balance and flexibility, agility and interval training. I am often called ‘posture police’ by my clients, and I consider this a batch of honor as I pontificate about the importance of good posture as much as I can. And now I have another group of unsuspecting victims with my groups of walkers.

Will all of them stay with the program? It would be nice but probably not. However, I remind myself of the famous story with the starfish: I know that I made a difference to that one.

Saying Good-Bye

As a personal trainer, it is my job to assist clients to achieve their goals. Those goals are usually body-related, be it weight loss, gaining strength, improving stamina or bettering the handicap. They can also be mind-related; finding a way to deal with stress or learning how to focus on the connection between mind and body. But in any case, the goal is to improve, to make better and stronger.

And then came Parkinson ’s disease. A few months after I had starting training a new client, he received this diagnosis. What followed was a 16 year battle against the gradual deterioration of the body, dealing with the side effects of medications, adjusting to a new normal and constantly holding on to the status quo until Parkinson’s took another bite.  

Over the years, I have learned to hate this disease which renders its victim ultimately helpless and completely dependent on the assistance of others. I have also seen the super-human effort required of the care-taker. The physical and emotional stress takes an enormous toll and makes the care-taker a second victim of the disease.

I have trained my client up until the end of July of this year even though he was hardly able to walk, and it took a great deal of effort on his part.

This week, I attended his memorial service.

Stressed!

I am usually heard saying that I live a very stress-free life, and it is true that very little fazes me.

It helps that I have complete control over my schedule, and if I pack too much on my plate it is my own doing. I also limit my exposure to the news and do not watch on TV scenes of catastrophes that I can do nothing about.

But this week I got stressed – in a major way. The reason? My dog Mr. Darcy. All of a sudden not doing well and giving conflicting messages. Eating and drinking okay but being lethargic, and once being barely able to walk, and the next moment walking just fine.

It was interesting for me to observe my own stress response to a powerful trigger. It was a situation from which I could not remove myself but had no means of changing. I could literally feel the stress hormones circulating in my body. The punch in the stomach! Sleep – forget it! Food – don’t even think about it! Off to the emergency vet we went, at least one action I could do. My favorite vet was on call, and my stress was down by half immediately.

Having an absolutely phenomenal veterinary specialty hospital nearby, he has been checked out inside and out, and I am optimistic that the reason will be found and that Mr. Darcy will soon be his usual self.

This experience made me think about stress in general. The perception of helplessness is for most people the greatest cause of the ‘stress response’, not the cause itself.  I still maintain that all stress is an ‘inside job’, even if it is in situations that most people would characterize as stressful.

One of my standard pieces of advice is to say that – in a stressful situation – you may only be able to control the way you think about it if otherwise you do not have control. I still believe that it is sound advice even though I was not exactly a paragon of self-control when Mr. Darcy was not feeling well.

But I trust that he will soon be his own tail-wagging self again, and that I can return to my serene unstressed advice-giving persona.

Germany beyond Rothenburg and Heidelberg

I was in Germany a little while ago and spent four days in an area that used to be East Germany. I am so fortunate as to have a friend there who loves the region and shows it off to visitors. So I was a tourist with an excellent guide and want to share some of the beauties and wonders I got to see.

The city of Magdeburg (the capitol of the state of Saxony-Anhalt) is interesting so see. Located at the river Elbe, it has many pretty parks and landmarks. My favorite is the ‘”Hundertwasserhaus”, Check out this website http://www.gruene-zitadelle.de/englisch/ and marvel how funky straight-laced Germans can be.

Further on the tracks of architects, I also visited the Bauhaus (which is more than just a font style) in Dessau, designed by Gropius just after the First World War. His architecture influenced much of modern design, and while I am not a personal fan of the austere functionalism, it is amazing to see it emerge at an era so long ago. Here is another link for more information http://www.bauhaus-dessau.de/english/home.html.

Also in Dessau is the location of an unrivaled landscape of parks, waterways and little chalets. It is even possible to rent historical structures as weekend vacation homes. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and I also have a link for you to check this out http://www.woerlitz-information.de/woerlitz-en/ho/ho_lp.php?&PHPSESSID=760e0f8d3e1195700e01566235bf15c3.

Just the next day, I saw another UNESCO Word Heritage site, the city of Quedlinburg, a medieval village near a low mountain range called ‘Harz’ with the largest collection of half-timbered houses. It has everything a tourist needs: a castle on one side, an abbey on the other, plenty of shops and restaurants in between on cobblestone streets. Here is a short youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRs2Po4kAL4 and more information  http://www.germany.travel/en/towns-cities-culture/unesco-world-heritage/quedlinburg-old-town.html.

Other places in close range are the towns of Wittenberg and Eisleben, known for their relationship to Martin Luther who was born and died in the latter and posted his famous proclamations at the church in Wittenberg. There are interesting museums where he was born, lived and died. Some rooms are still there, and I liked the way the museums provided context for his life and work. Here are links to Wittenberg http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/wittenberg-luther-house and to Eisleben http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/eisleben-luthers-geburtshaus-birth-house and http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/eisleben-luthers-sterbehaus-death-house.

And if you are into domes and cathedrals, there is none like the dome of Halberstadt which houses one of the most significant treasures in the world. It has priceless tapestries which date from 1150 AD and are beautifully preserved. You may have seen the beautiful tapestries of the Lady and the Unicorn in Paris. Those were woven around 1500. It appears, however, that the people of Halberstadt want to keep this treasure a secret. I could not find an English web link! So here is one in German only http://www.die-domschaetze.de/de/dom-und-domschatz-halberstadt/domschatz.html.

And while I was there, I heard about the Sky Disk of Nebra (which really lent itself to be made into jewelry and thus returned with me to the US). This disk is about 1 foot in diameter and shows different moon phases and stars. It was found about 15 years ago in that area. It is made of bronze and it quite beautiful. What makes this find absolutely astounding is the fact that it has been dated to about 1600 BCE !!!!!! That was a time well before the glory days of Greek and Roman civilizations, while the pharaohs in Egypt started on the Valley of the Kings with King Thutmose I, and we have the first traces of the Mayas. Stonehenge, however, had already been built. Here is a link with images to this extraordinary disk which is now at a museum in the city of Halle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebra_sky_disk.

After having seen all that and more, I want to share this with as many people as possible. Tourism to Germany is often reduced to a trip up and down the river Rhine with a side swipe to Berlin, Munich, Neuschwanstein, Heidelberg and Rothenburg where the tourist is catered to with a production of “Germany for the American” with Lederhosen and all.

I hope I was able to demonstrate that there is more to Germany than that. 

Traveling Again

I am packing my bags again, this time to go to Germany for a week. Since I have been complaining about the direct flights from Raleigh to Los Angeles a few weeks ago, I am looking forward to travel part of my vacation with mixed emotions.

I got plenty of advice on how not to get sick, and this time I am hedging my bets with a combination of Airborne and tea tree oil. The agenda on the other side of the Atlantic will not be as hectic as going to a conference. I will spend three days with a dear friend who has three dogs, and I am anticipating long walks and even longer talks.

After that, I will go to the city of Hannover where I grew up and lived until the age of 26. UP to my mother’s death two years ago, I went often. This visit will probably be my last, and I hope to see a good number of friends.

Another much anticipated event is my 40^th High School Reunion. I had little contact with old class mates except for one person, and while I look forward to meet them again, I dearly hope that I will see some of my teachers. It’s such a shame that one has to be at least 25 years out of school to truly value what they have done and how they have influenced one’s life. I could never have imagined 40 years ago that I would be sitting here in Raleigh, NC, writing a blog, having had an 18 year career with IBM, and now being in my 18^th year as a fitness trainer.

Time flies ……..

25th Annual Walk for Hope

I have just registered a team for the Walk for Hope as I have since 1996.

The Foundation of Hope is a charity which raises money for research into mental illness.  The way they distribute the money is to give so-called ‘seed money’ which enables researchers to do the work necessary to apply for grants for comprehensive research. By using this method, the Foundation of Hope has been instrumental in securing millions of dollars to find cures or relief for those suffering from mental illnesses.

As the only charity to raise money for this cause, the Foundation of Hope is unique. It is also important to me to know that just about every dollar donated to the Foundation of Hope actually goes to the cause which – regrettably – is not the case with all charities (but there is a website from the American Institute of Philanthropy where you can check the rating of the charity you have in mind http://www.charitywatch.org/index.html).

The event will be Sunday October 13^th at 10 AM, starting at the Angus Barn in Raleigh. There will be several options for running, walking or just strolling around the little lake, just enough to work up an appetite for the party which showcases the Angus Barn’s legendary ability to feed crowds.

Please check out the website www.walkforhope.com and decide whether you want to get involved.  Needless to say, money is always welcome but I’d rather have you register yourself or get a few friends to go with you and register a team.  

Hope to see you there.

The Travails of Travel

I loved the last IDEA conference but getting there and back was a different story.

I remember those days when I thought that traveling for business was so glamorous. Actually, I hardly remember it because it lost its glitz very soon while I was still working with IBM. And there I had the advantage of turning my expense sheet in and getting reimbursed. One of the joys of being self-employed: you pay for yourself. It being a business expense does not change that.

We were lucky enough to have a direct flight from Raleigh to Los Angeles, all was on time and the luggage was returned to me. Nowadays, after having already purchased the ticket, one also gets the option of ‘buying’ a seat allocation. Over are the days when you picked the desired seat during the process of buying the ticket. Since we chose not to add even more cost to the ticket, we took what was left, a window seat for Rufus and a middle seat for me, several rows apart. I was sitting close enough to the business section to smell the food that was served there. In coach, you even had to pay for the peanuts; water and soda was free, and one did not need to pay to use the restrooms. What generosity!

Where I got lucky was in my travel companion in the seat next to me. I am forever curious what other people are reading and was absolutely intrigued by the small book in my neighbor’s hands with interesting graphics. I had to ask. It was a book on fractal geometry, some part of which is the underlying concept of structure in the fascia! What a coincidence! And better yet, my neighbor actually gave me the book as a present, and I read it on the way to Los Angeles and really enjoyed myself.

After we got our luggage at the airport, we too the shuttle to the hotel and got the scenic route. Rufus and I are determined to take a taxi the next time.

The return flight a few days later was the crowning glory of the trip. The RED-EYE! I have a hard time sleeping on planes at best of times but I usually still try. If I find the person who designed those seats, I want to see how out of alignment he is to have developed such torturous contraptions.  I was the lucky person in the middle seat again, and no matter what position I tried and where I put that blanket, I could not get comfortable. While I had my eyes closed for much of the flight, I did not sleep and arrived rather bleary-eyed at RDU. To add insult to injury, I got a nasty cold three days after getting home.

I used to be quite a Star Trek fan and was always very intrigued by the transporter. I cannot wait for the technology to catch up with the fantasy, and then I can beam myself over to LA without any of the hassles. I would have missed out on the book, though.

Another great IDEA

It’s been a little over a week since I returned from the IDEA World Fitness Convention in Los Angeles. Having successfully knocked out the cold which I promptly got on my return, I am now sorting through my sessions and think how to integrate them into my training.

It was a grand event. 8000 participants from 57 countries! The expo hall was larger than ever with vendors displaying anything from Pilates reformers to a body-heat activated dog blanket made of bamboo fiber (yes, you are right, I got that for Mr. Darcy J).

It seems that the trend goes towards smaller equipment, and ‘core’ is still the thing which will be subjected with many devices in an effort to activate, tone or otherwise get it to comply.

Fascia is another emerging trend but I am ecstatic to say that Sue Hitzmann’s message of soft compression is starting to make an impression in the industry. While some are still advocating to beat that fascia stuff into submission, the gentler MELT approach is gaining traction.

I attended some sessions purportedly designed for seniors (or, in Lawrence Biscontini’s words chronologically-enriched) where he combines easy mental challenges with exercise. In other words, he suggests to teach people to ‘walk and chew gum, and I thought that this was a terrific idea.  Watch out for that in my personal training!

A summary of the conference sessions with a few comments will soon be up on my website www.meltnc.com under the ‘Convention Newsletter’ heading.

Please Spay or Neuter

I just received an e-mail which prompts me to depart from the fitness world onto an issue close to my heart.

A well-meaning e-mail was written on behalf of an elderly neighbor whose cat just had seven “adorable” kittens. Unfortunately, all that adorability did not help them to be accepted by the ASPCA or other local animal shelters because they are already full of equally adorable kittens.

So now there are seven little kitties looking for a home, and I sincerely hope that somebody will just be looking for a cat.

I must confess: the e-mail got my hackles up. I am an avid advocate of the spaying and neutering of pets, and here is just another great example why this is so important. Our pets will do what all animals are programmed to do: be fruitful and multiply. They live – hopefully – in an environment where they are well-cared for, have food and shelter and are free from natural enemies. The perfect background for successful procreation. One seven-kitty-litter per year for the duration of 10 years results in 70 direct offspring but if it is extrapolated on the assumption that those cats have their own litters, the number becomes staggering and exceeds 282 million! True, this is just a matter of math but it demonstrates well the magnitude of the problem if our pets are not controlled.

I won’t talk about the debate of whether or not a cat should be allowed to be outside. However, if allowed, then spaying or neutering should be an even greater priority, and the failure to do so constitutes irresponsible pet ownership.

Please spay and neuter your pet.

Being Ready for IDEA World

The next IDEA World Fitness Convention is just around the corner. Flight and hotel are booked, sessions selected, a dog sitter hired.

As I am contemplating the sessions that I will participate in, it struck me that I am no longer looking to experience the challenge of battling ropes and the latest agility drills. Why’s that? I am – by any standard – in great shape but, BUT in capital letters, I am not in the kind of shape that my body would need to be in for those styles of workouts.

I have often returned from conferences feeling utterly beaten, sometimes even hurting. Obviously, I am a slow learner because the reason is so clear, and I would have told all of my clients: if you want to do something different, particularly if it is intense, then you have to get your body ready for it. At the conferences, the very best presenters show their stuff. They demonstrate movements that they have practiced over the years. It is a good reminder that some caution is not cowardly but smart.

The very SAID (specific adaptation to imposed demand) principle applies to me as much as it applies to everybody else.

Of course, that means that I will MELT with Sue Hitzmann who will present three lectures. MELT is one of those modalities, though, for which no special preparation is needed. Everybody can MELT, no matter what shape they are in.

Looking forward to reporting back.

Losing Weight – So Easy Even a Caveman Can Do It?

Obesity has recently been classified as a disease, starting the debate anew why we should give ‘those lazy people’ yet another excuse why they ‘don’t pull themselves together and just show a little more self-discipline’.

The fitness industry bears its share of blame for this attitude, pointing to the fact that we as fitness professionals are confronted with the same food choices and, for the most part, go for the green and low calorie options. We also exercise, get our heart rate just were it needs to be, and some have a great story how they were able to shed x number of pounds by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Good for them; I could not be happier. But can we really extrapolate so easily from ‘us’ to ‘them’?

There are not many ways in which I can relate to a person who is overweight and goes to food for comfort. When I get stressed, I lose my appetite to the point that the mere thought of food makes my nauseous.  Come to think of it, my survival chances would have been very marginal if I still lived in a cave.

However, I remember my struggle to quit smoking when I was 21, after having smoked for about 5 years. Well, I pulled myself together and showed self-discipline and quit cold turkey. 37 years later, I never touched another cigarette, and for the longest time I would not have dared to for fear to start over again.

So why don’t these ‘lazy obese people’ do the same? But wait – you can’t just stop eating. Not only are the overweight confronted with the challenge of consistently reducing their food intake, they are at the same time constantly bombarded with enticements of any imaginable kind. It is hardly surprising that so many are just giving up. We are hard-wired to eat as much as possible when food is available. For millennia, this has ensured the survival of any species, humans included.

So: do I have an answer to this problem? No; if I did, I would not write a blog but a book and make millions. But I hope that everybody will support those who are trying to lose weight in any way possible and by not judging and stereotyping just because their personal genetic make-up makes it easier for them to control what for others is uncontrollable.

Keeping Score: Lawyers 11 – Chiropractors 9

I have nothing against lawyers and chiropractors. I use a chiropractor myself when I need this kind of treatment, and lawyers can provide valuable assistance to maneuver the legal jungle.

I was in a car accident last Saturday. Rear-ended and then pushed against the car in front of me. Nobody got hurt but my car got the short end of the stick. After I got home, I MELTed and found that all the components were where they have always been. The insurance company took over. My car is in the shop to get fixed, I have a rental car, and my life resumes as normal.

One day after the accident, a Sunday, I received the first phone call from a lawyer offering his services. He seemed clearly disappointed to hear that, thank you, I am just fine. Since then the beleaguered US Postal Service has enjoyed an unexpected increase in mailings, about half and half lawyers and chiropractors.

By all appearances, lawyers have more money to spend because there are glossy brochures and heavy envelopes that require additional postage. In contrast, mostly postcards from chiropractors.

Personally, I find this distasteful - to say the least. I know it is the practice in the United States (in moments like this, my German-ness dominates). But I keep a list to make sure that I will not use any of those lawyers or chiropractors that are pushing their services on me!

Lethal Weapon 5 – The Pocketbook

Okay, my fellow pocketbook carriers, we have to talk!

What on earth are you putting into your pocketbooks that turns them into devices that will double up for weight training and as a self-defense weapon when hurled at the aggressor?

My question is prompted by two occurrences on the same day. One suspected that she hurt her shoulder by reaching for her pocketbook. The other came with an aching back and a body hurting overall. In either case, I would not have used more than an 8 lbs. dumbbell (if that much) for weight training with controlled movements but when I picked up the pocketbooks to check it out, I hardly believed what I felt.

When inquiring what could possibly turn the innocent pocketbooks into such a lethal force, it appeared that they were clearly prepared for any circumstance that life may throw at them. All these things – just in case – do add up, and they may have made perfect sense when hiking off into the wilderness. But just for getting around town?

So here is my challenge: check the content of your pocketbook and ask yourself whether you really need to carry it all on you all the time. Many items can find a place in the car, maybe in a separate bag, so that you can travel light when you walk around places where you actually have to carry your pocketbook. 

The Battle of the Rollers

As of late, I have seen more and more clients who come to me for MELT instructions and who proudly tell me that they own a foam roller. Some of them even bring it along when they see me. I am informed that they would like to know how to use it correctly. Invariably, those are the hard foam rollers, often the white Styrofoam version, sometimes even the black one that to me feels nothing short of lightweight concrete.

When I ask how they are using it, they often confess that they are really not because it hurts so badly. In one case, a guy told me that he had actually made matters worse rather than better.

The MELT roller is made of much softer material which yields gently to the touch. It has a textured surface. Before I start my MELT instructions, I ask them to suspend the belief that a roller needs to hurt in order to do any good, and off we MELT.

The first time my new MELTers get on the soft roller, I always hear a sigh of “Oh that feels much better”, and that’s all the convincing I need to do thereafter.

There may be a place for a hard roller and all the other devices out there. I have taken classes at conferences with them, and, frankly, I felt as if I had been beaten up with a baseball bat rather than feeling better.  So no more hard rollers for me. Not at all.

And from all I have heard from the new soft roller converts, the question now is what to do with the hard roller. I am collecting ideas of creative uses for the hard foam rollers.

Any suggestions? 

Aging Gracefully? Are You Kidding?

I always wondered what that term about ‘aging gracefully’ means. Similarly: what does it mean to ‘act your age’? What is allowed and what is forbidden?

I guess it really depends where you stand when you look at those questions. I am 58 now, and I have been spared those health challenges that come out of nowhere and that disregard the fact that you have done nothing to bring it on.

I must admit: I do just about everything that I ‘should’ do by the standards of health recommendations. I also have to admit that I enjoy most of that stuff really a lot. If somebody asks my favorite activity: walking my dog, hands down. The more, the better. I love to move, I even move when I sit still which got me the term ‘Zappelphilipp’ at an early age. That is a German word for somebody in constant motion. And while MELT has a funny way of keeping me in one place for a while, it has even further enhanced my sense of well-being.

I am a vegetarian because I do not think that somebody needs to die so that I can eat. But I also really like all that green stuff, and after we recently joined a CSA, I am taking ‘green leafy vegetables’ to new heights.

I did smoke at one point in my life but gave that up when I was 21. Never touched another cigarette but certainly understand the power of addiction.

Right now, I am as healthy as can be, and my physical abilities are not a limiting factor in the choices I make.  I sometimes marvel how little has changed between the current version of me and the one from many years ago. Oh sure, some grey hair and ‘laugh lines’!  On close inspection, not all parts of my body should be exposed to detailed scrutiny but I choose not to inspect too closely. I have no interest to compete with my younger self because that version has evolved to where I am now, and I would not go back to any earlier point in my life.

So what does ‘aging’ really mean? Adding years – yes.  Acting smarter – I hope so. Embracing new challenges – absolutely J

"Walter" Magazine

About two months ago, I got a call from a young lady named Charman Driver. She introduced herself as a reporter for the “Walter” magazine and was asking me about MELT. She writes the fitness column for “Walter” and only about things after she had gained some personal experience.

Well, we spoke, and I explained as well as I can what MELT is all about. MELT is one of those techniques that, while explainable, have to be experienced to ‘get it’. But Charman promised me to attend one of my classes.

A few weeks later, she came with photographer Mark Petko in tow. I put her in the front row so that I could keep a good eye on her, and then I conducted the class in my usual way. It was immediately obvious that Charman was on the ‘very fit’ end of my participants’ spectrum, and her exceptional body awareness enabled her to perform exercises very well that usually have a bit of a learning curve, such as the low back decompression.

At the end of the class, it was quite obvious to me that MELT had just acquired a new fan. Her article appeared in the April addition of “Walter”, and I want to share the link here http://www.waltermagazine.com/melting-away/.

IDEA Personal Trainer Institute March 2013

Alexandria, VA, begins to grow on me, and the proximity to Raleigh has a lot to do with it. The much smaller size of the conference itself with only about 800 participants (as opposed to 5000 for the IDEA World event) makes it feel almost intimate. It’s funny to compare this conference to its big brother. The absence of group exercise instructors makes it a lot more low key, and the reduced noise level is most welcome to me.

Since Sue Hitzmann presented at this conference, 3 time slots for lectures and/or workshops were automatically assigned because I use any opportunity to re-learn the MELT material. As such, her sessions were the highlights of the conference for me, particularly her one lecture on chronic pain. The rest of the sessions were informative. I enjoyed the one with the Dynamax ball but will first need to get a non-weighted beach ball to practice before throwing 6 lbs. at my clients. The other sessions may have provided some insights to newer trainers but – let’s face is – I am a veteran now in the field. So I should feel good if there is no ‘take home’ message in some cases because it is already there.

The next two conferences are already on the books. The IDEA World Fitness conference will be in August in Los Angeles, and the Personal Trainer Institute in 2014 will mean another trip to Alexandria.

If you are interested in all conference notes, you will find those on my web site http://www.meltnc.com/page718.html.

I Joined a CSA

Since last week, I feel particularly virtuous. I have joined a CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture) and have started indulging in truly fresh vegetables which I pick up once a week.

The concept of my chosen farm is a little different from others: I get to pick from a list which is forwarded to me once a week. I can also skip a week if I want to. What had prevented me from joining before where the stories of people getting delivery of whatever vegetable is abundant, and while I like vegetables in general, I did not cherish the thought of a box full of one which I may not be particularly fond of.   

So now I am off to expand my vegetable horizon, and have already encountered a new one: Red Russian Kale.  Courtesy of the internet, a recipe was quickly on hand, and it was a wonderful choice. Picking vegetables from a list works really well for me because I am not an adventurous cook. If I don’t know what to do with it, I don’t buy it unless I am reasonably sure that I can eat it raw.

I am looking forward to a year of fresh veggies. In case you want to know: go towww.wildonionfarms.com and see for yourself.

North Carolina is MELT Country

We have to admit: nobody ever accused North Carolina of being on the forefront of any trends that trickle out of New York but, for once, things are different.

I have been teaching the MELT Method now for well over 3 years here, and we have a few more instructors in the Triad and the Triangle now, even though the western part of the state is still a MELT wasteland. But compare that to other states of the union with no MELT instructors at all, many in the so-called heartland which is still a MELT dessert.

Bad for them, good for us. And in little over a week’s time, we will be able to welcome Sue Hitzmann herself to North Carolina. She created the MELT Method, and she will, in a whirlwind stopover, teach three MELT Intro Classes here in our state, two of them back to back at the Rex Wellness Center in Raleigh, and the other at the YMCA in Wilson.

I was the organizer for the classes in Raleigh, and those classes sold out in a flash. I can feel the excitement people have at the opportunity to meet Sue in person. Many of them are already seasoned MELTers for whom MELT has become a part of their lives, and that is because the regular application of MELT has impacted them in such a positive way.

I have rarely found anything quite as rewarding as introducing people to this self-treatment technique. MELT empowers people to take control over a part of their healthcare which had to be handed over before to others who would to it to them or for them.

Power to the people!  

Survival of the Fittest

February is heart month, and not just because Valentine’s Day is right in the middle of it.

According to a 2009 statistic of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is still the # 1 killer for women in the United States with 24%, followed by ALL cancers with 22% and stroke with 6%.

While there is a genetic component to heart disease, many factors leading up to it like diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol are under our control. I am not even talking about weight. It is well-known that excess weight can lead to all of the above, and that even a moderated weight loss can reduce the risk.

And exercise is the not so secret weapon that can help in the management of diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.  When I see the barrage of pharmaceutical advertisement which promises help with all of the above, I am always struck by the qualifier “If diet and exercise is not enough, please ask your doctor if XYZ is right for you”. Sadly, the first half of this sentence is often conveniently blocked out, and XYZ is the preferred choice.

Please give “diet and exercise” a chance. It can help manage medical problems, does not have a list of side effects in fine print, and will make you feel a lot better.

Another Year Wiser?

I hope so. Definitely another year older as the calendar goes. Oh well.

It strikes me, though, how fortunate I am to have my own business as a personal trainer. If I had been able to stay with IBM where I worked for 18 years (and not being laid off years ago), I would bite my nails for fear of being let go now and hope that I can make it to retirement. No matter how one looks at it, age discrimination is alive and well in the work place, particularly when it comes to new hires.

How strange in some ways that my position as a self-employed person is so much more secure.

And I am so grateful that I am not counting down the days to a retirement day but instead look forward to every day with the joy of what I am doing.

Age? So what? 58? YESSSSSS !!!!! Happy Birthday to me !!!!!!

Yoga for a Dummy

It sure is easy to feel that way when an otherwise fit and healthy person (me) tries yoga. I began to be intrigued when participants in my MELT classes (or Pilates for that matter) all of a sudden told me that that ‘was yoga’.

I am not a yoga teacher, and I am also not a yoga practitioner but I respect this modality highly. I am also aware that there are many schools of yoga which can vary quite fundamentally from one another in addition to all the hybrid creations of the western world (my favorite is probably hip-hop yoga).

I have taken some yoga classes, all of them at the IDEA Conventions where the teachers tend to be the best in the country and are of a yogic ability to give the artists of Cirque du Soleil a run for their money.

Being a bit pressed for time and not having time for a class, I got some DVDs and instructions and went to work. Fortunately, I have a studio with huge mirrors and can inspect myself from every angle. I can also understand when cues on form are provided yet it is interesting to slip back into the role of a student and acquire a new set of movement skills. Also quite maddening when one understands the instructions but somehow the body fails to comply because it hasn’t been in that position in a while (maybe never). Yet, I am determined to give it a try.

Good thing I know how to MELT. MELT is a great lengthening technique, and it prepares the body well for any other fitness modality, particularly yoga.

Who knows: maybe one day I will be able to twist myself into a pretzel after all J